Putting the rad back in radio. Mark Gonzales is the true skateboard pioneer. From the libraries of South Gate to the streets of the world, he took what he saw happening in skateparks and took it to the streets. No conspiracy by freestylers here, just mimicking the parks' style on the rails and curbs all over the LA city basin. Thanks, Mark. —Jake Phelps

The top-three list for SOTY was all tuff no fluff: Figgy, K-Walks and Evan Smith. While he don’t mind not being the “guy,” he’s just stoked to be on planet Earth having the time of his life. Listen to Mr. Smith talk about the road and the mag on the airwaves. —Jake Phelps